1. Field
The present invention relates to manufacturing disk drives for computer systems. In particular, the present invention relates to a manufacturing assembly for manufacturing a disk drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disk drives comprise a disk and a head connected to a distal end of an actuator arm which is rotated about a pivot by a voice coil motor (VCM) to position the head radially over the disk. When the disk drive is powered down or idled, the head is typically parked either on a landing zone of the disk, or on a ramp near an outer periphery of the disk. In disk drives that employ ramp loading/unloading, the actuator arm comprises a “lift tab” that extends out over the head which contacts and slides along the ramp. During manufacturing, a head stack assembly (HSA) comprising an actuator arm is installed into the base of the disk drive, and then rotated so that the lift tab makes initial contact with an outer edge of the ramp during a “pre-merge” operation. Thereafter a “merge” operation is performed to further rotate the actuator arm so that the lift tab slides further onto the ramp and into a parked position on the ramp.
In a prior art technique for manufacturing the disk drive, a “gripper” tool grips the HSA, removes the HSA from a tray, and then inserts the HSA into the base of the disk drive. A screw is then driven through the bottom of the base into the pivot of the HSA in order to secure the HSA to the machined, level surface of the base. Once the HSA is secured to the base, the gripper releases the HSA allowing it to rotate about the pivot until the lift tab contacts the outer surface of the ramp. Screwing the HSA to the base before releasing the gripper helps ensure the HSA rotates in a near perfect horizontal plane which prevents damage to the head as the lift tab contacts the outer edge of the ramp. However, driving a screw through the bottom of the base to secure the HSA increases the cost and complexity of manufacturing the disk drive.
There is, therefore, a need to reduce the cost and complexity of manufacturing a disk drive while maintaining adequate yield.